'Shouldn't Master Moria have taken care of those who trespassed?'
In the castle, the brilliant surgeon Hogback, a key player in Moria's zombie army scheme, sat by the operating table. He carefully set down his surgical tools, and the room was filled with closely packed corpses.
"Fosfosfos"
Hogback heard the loud commotion from the Thriller Bark, including Absalom's screams, and now everything appeared calm. Without Observation Haki, he assumed Moria had taken care of the intruders.
He trusted Moria completely due to Moria's formidable strength as a pirate with a 320 million bounty and the strange Devil Fruit power to control the dead!
'It's thrilling just to imagine!'
Hogback couldn't resist a creepy smile, and his entire body trembled with excitement.
"What's making you so excited?"
After handling Moria, Atlas naturally appeared inside the castle and glanced at the enthusiastic Hogback without any emotion.
The fishnet attire, the exposed fangs from a sudden laugh, froze abruptly. Bean-sized sunglasses covered his eyes, and his sharp nose quickly beaded with sweat. Hogback turned his head stiffly, and his voice quivered a bit.
"Marine!?"
An unfamiliar sense of foreboding crossed his mind.
Before he could seek confirmation, a vacuum bomb was launched!
Tobu Shigan
Hogback's vision spun, and though he tried, he couldn't vocalize the words stuck in his throat.
A bloody hole appeared between the eyebrows as the vacuum bomb wave pierced straight through the entire head.
Bang!
In the end, Hogback didn't utter a sound, and his lifeless body fell backward, raising a cloud of dust.
Later, Atlas scanned the surroundings and observed the bodies stacked against the wall. They appeared physically weak, evidently just ordinary materials. It was clear that the corpses of the warriors Moria brought from Wanokuni wouldn't be stored so casually here.
"Go and blast that door open, Baby-5!"
Atlas pointed to the iron door next to the hall, instructing Baby-5 behind him.
"Ah~ I'm thrilled to be useful once more!"
Baby-5 responded with a joyful expression. Simultaneously, her hands transformed, revealing a small howitzer. Though not overwhelmingly powerful, it was more than sufficient to shatter the iron door of the freezer.
Boom! ! !
The door shattered, releasing a burst of icy mist. Baby-5 shuddered as she bumped into it but still gazed curiously at the gradually revealed cold storage.
Right in the center.
A male corpse, clad in a worn-out kimono and donning old wooden geta on his feet, sat cross-legged with a long black-sheathed sword at his waist.
The corpse appeared highly aged, with the bones and flesh throughout the body essentially disintegrating. The head was covered in a white bandage, revealing the nose and teeth to the air. The face appeared dry and decayed all over, as if it might crumble if disturbed.
"Swordsman Ryoma..."
Atlas narrowed his eyes slightly; he was familiar with this corpse. Evidently, Moria hadn't had the time to handle him yet, so Atlas had to take care of it temporarily.
Atlas didn't know much about the deeds of the swordsman Ryoma; he only knew that Ryoma was a legendary dragon-slaying swordsman. According to Kozaburo, the Kaminari in his hand also had some connection with Ryoma.
Rise!
Atlas moved his fingers, and Ryoma's lifeless body levitated from the ground, devoid of movement, completely defying gravity and gliding sideways in front of Atlas.
"Ah--!!"
The abrupt appearance of the corpse caught Baby-5 off guard. After all, she was just a child, even if she had received some training from the Donquixote Family.
"The Meito Shusui, I'll take it..."
Atlas's gaze briefly lingered on the long black-sheathed sword on Ryoma's waist. He continued, "In return, I will appropriately handle your remains."
Atlas isn't one to offer services for free. It's only fair to take Ryoma's sword and assist in handling his matters.
Certainly, Atlas now possesses one of the 12 Supreme Grade Blades - Kaminari. In truth, the black sword Shusui is somewhat insignificant for him, but if Zoro ever needs it in the future, he can always give it to him.
After all.
A good saddle complements a good horse!
Clang!
With Shusui in hand, Atlas curiously drew the long sword.
Weighing it in hand, Shusui is heavier than ordinary renowned swords. The spine of the sword is relatively thick, and the blade forms a large reverse T-shape. The sword's body is black and purple, adorned with red serrated patterns, appearing exceptionally robust, with a durability comparable to Atlas's Kaminari.
"Tsk, tsk, it is indeed a black sword forged with Armament Haki..."
Perhaps the original quality of Shusui wasn't excellent, especially compared to Atlas's Kaminari, but after being refined into a black sword, it promptly earned a place among the 21 Great Grade Blades.
.....
"Alright, let's head straight back to Naval Headquarters."
Atlas glanced at a slightly raised bump in the corner of the Thriller Bark, patted the non-existent dust on his body, and then turned to Baby-5, saying.
"Besides…"
"Girl, you've been with us the whole way, are you tired?"
The words just fell.
A little girl with pink twin tails and round eyes timidly emerged from behind a big tree.
Dressed like an ordinary little girl, tightly clutching a large rag doll, she gazed at Atlas and Baby-5 with innocent eyes.
"Yeah! What's your name?"
First, she was shocked, then she spotted Baby-5, who was her own age, and saw her ran towards the little girl with excitement on his face.
Still silent, the little girl faced her palm forward, and a cute little ghost materialized in her hand, rushing towards Baby-5!
"I'd rather not live if no one needs me. I don't deserve to exist in this world..."
Baby-5, who was still jumping up and down, instantly collapsed, sitting on her knees on the ground. She whined and expressed dejected words.
Negative Hollow!
The little girl possesses the Paramecia Hollow-Hollow Fruit ability. If someone comes in contact with the negative hollow she creates, their heart becomes profoundly negative.
"Your name is Perona, right? Would you like to come back with us?"
Atlas observed this and put on a harmless smile.
"..."
Silently, Perona continued to gaze at Atlas, and there were faint signs of condensed ghosts in her hands.
----------
Read 35 chapters in advance in Patr*on: patr*on.com/Cosmic_Kaminari